The Godmother’s Secret
by Elizabeth St.John
by Elizabeth St.John
What if you knew what happened to the Princes in the Tower. Would you tell? Or would you forever keep the secret?
November, 1470: Westminster Abbey. Lady Elysabeth Scrope faces a perilous royal duty when ordered into sanctuary with Elizabeth Woodville–witness the birth of Edward IV’s Yorkist son.
Margaret Beaufort, Elysabeth’s sister, is desperately seeking a pardon for her exiled son Henry Tudor. Strategically, she coerces Lancastrian Elysabeth to be appointed godmother to Prince Edward, embedding her in the heart of the Plantagenets and uniting them in a destiny of impossible choices and heartbreaking conflict.
Bound by blood and torn by honour, when the king dies and Elysabeth delivers her young godson into the Tower of London to prepare for his coronation, she is engulfed in political turmoil. Within months, the prince and his brother have disappeared, Richard III is declared king, and Margaret conspires with Henry Tudor to invade England and claim the throne. Desperate to protect her godson, Elysabeth battles the intrigue, betrayal and power of the last medieval court, defying her husband and her sister under her godmother’s sacred oath to keep Prince Edward safe.
Were the princes murdered by their uncle, Richard III? Was the rebel Duke of Buckingham to blame?
Or did Margaret Beaufort mastermind their disappearance to usher in the Tudor dynasty? Of anyone at the royal court, Elysabeth has the most to lose–and the most to gain–by keeping secret the fate of the Princes in the Tower.
Inspired by England’s most enduring historical mystery, Elizabeth St.John, best-selling author of The Lydiard Chronicles, blends her own family history with known facts and centuries of speculation to create an intriguing alternative story illuminating the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower.
How far would you go to honour your godmother's vow? Lady Elysabeth Scrope was a reluctant godmother, but she was to become a dedicated servant and would willingly risk the wrath and disappointment of her beloved husband as well inciting the anger of the king, in order to do everything humanly possible to make sure that ambition, greed and betrayal would not cause the deaths of her godson (Edward V) and his brother (Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York).
Told from the point of view of Elysabeth we witness first hand the horrors of this era. The book begins with Elizabeth Woodville hiding in sanctuary as Lancaster once again takes the throne, she is heavily pregnant and is about to give birth. The book ends with Elizabeth once again in sanctuary, this time fearing the worst when her children's legitimacy is questioned. She can do nothing but hope that Elysabeth will come through for her and save her sons. Elysabeth loves the boys, particularly Edward, as a mother, and a mother's love will never give up, and although the Wheel of Fortune tries to thwart her at every turn, she never gives up.
There were numerous occasions when I found myself reaching for the tissues - those poor boys. There were also times when I felt incredibly angry at some of the characters - especially Margaret and Richard III. But when I thought I had pegged these characters firmly into a nice hole they would do something that would make me question my anger - was Margaret a loving mother, rather than a mother with ambition and a cause? Why did Richard suddenly become a just king when he had started out so badly? Was he condemning his nephews or pulling the strings that would ultimately save them? I thought the characters in this book came across as very believable which gave this story a sense of authority.
I really enjoyed the style in which the author writes, and the first person narrative gave it a very personal, almost intimate feel to it. It was certainly a page-turning read and one I enjoyed very much.
The Godmother’s Secret is available on #KindleUnlimited
Elizabeth St.John
Elizabeth St.John spends her time between California, England, and the past. An acclaimed author, historian, and genealogist, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Lydiard Park and Nottingham Castle to Richmond Palace and the Tower of London to inspire her novels. Although the family sold a few country homes along the way (it's hard to keep a good castle going these days), Elizabeth's family still occupy them— in the form of portraits, memoirs, and gardens that carry their legacy. And the occasional ghost. But that's a different story.
Having spent a significant part of her life with her seventeenth-century family while writing The Lydiard Chronicles trilogy and Counterpoint series, Elizabeth St.John is now discovering new family stories with her fifteenth-century namesake Elysabeth St.John Scrope, and her half-sister, Margaret Beaufort.
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Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Thank you for hosting Elizabeth St.John today, and for your wonderful review. x
ReplyDeleteI am so delighted you enjoyed meeting Elysabeth and sharing her secret!
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